Opening night, our family went to see the new Fantastic Four:First Steps. We were blown away.

Our expectations were pretty low going in. Marvel’s recent offerings have been increasingly disappointing and I dreaded seeing what they might have done to some of my favorite characters. The Fantastic Four helped me get through college. I struggled a lot with my health those years and got discouraged regularly. My regular pick-me-up was a stop at the Weenie Stand No. 2 for two hotdogs with mustard, chili, onions, and slaw followed by picking up the latest Fantastic Four comic book. I would sit in my little car, enjoying the best hot dogs in Virginia and reading about the scientific exploits (hey, I was a science major) and evil-fighting adventures of the Four.

This movie hit the right note from the very first scene. It opened with a glimpse into the private life of Susan and Richard Reed, at first impatient with each other, then getting the best news ever – after two years of infertility, they have a baby on the way! It’s a touching scene with all the feels, but this film is only getting started. With themes of sacrifice and redemption and the clearest pro-life and pro-family message we’ve ever seen in a Marvel movie, or practically any movie, this one wowed us.

In case you don’t know the back story, Richard Reed led a scientific mission to outer space, accompanied by Susan Storm, later to become his wife, Johnny Storm, her younger brother, and Ben Grimm, Richard’s former college roommate, now a pilot. A cosmic storm changed their DNA and their future, giving them superpowers that they use for good. This film opens some time after this, when the Fantastic Four are well-established as leaders and scientists at the Future Foundation.

The movie has a delightful retro-futuristic vibe set in the late 60s or early 70s. It’s really fun, with their robot H.E.R.B.I.E.  feeling a bit like Rosie, the Jetson’s robotic maid. In contrast to other Fantastic Four movies, the characters clearly love one another, being willing to sacrifice themselves for the others, but exhibiting that casual affection you see in the best families.

They need every bit of that love and strength to face the biggest threat they’ve ever faced. The Silver Surfer heralds the coming of Galactus, the eater of worlds, to the Earth. The Fantastic Four are mankind’s only hope and they set off to confront the monster. The Fantastic Four use science, courage, love, and an unwavering commitment to their values to save our civilization.

Along the way, there are some astounding pro-life and pro-family scenes. When Reed can’t stop worrying about whether their baby is okay despite his and his wife’s altered DNA, Susan uses her invisibility selectively to allow him to see their son, active and healthy, inside her womb. The baby is always referred to as “him,” their son, or Franklin, constantly reminding us of his humanity. Later, the baby is the impetus for the clear message that every life matters.

My daughters and I were thrilled with the portrayal of Susan Storm. Too often, the girl-power message is that women are only strong and valuable as much as they act like men. Susan Storm shows true womanly strength and courage. In the birth scene, she is not out-of-control or helpless, but strong. (Don’t worry – it is completely discreet!) And in the final crisis, her mother’s love for her child gives her the strength to do what it takes to protect him. It was lovely to see a strong woman who was unabashedly a woman and a mother!

SPOILER ALERT – don’t read further if you don’t like spoilers! (click here to jump past)

When the Fantastic Four confront Galactus, the monster determines that he wants the baby Franklin as his successor and will spare the Earth if they give him the child. The family flees, pursued by the Silver Surfer, and Susan goes into labor! The baby is born as they finally escape pursuit.

On their return to Earth, Reed tells the world that the price Galactus asked to spare the Earth was too high – his son. As you might imagine, this led to tremendous unrest and anger. Susan confronts it head on, saying, “I will not sacrifice my child for this world. But, I will not sacrifice this world for my child. We will fight it together as a family.” Situational ethics would tell us to sacrifice the baby, for all those people, but Christian ethics tells us that only the willing can sacrifice themselves. Sacrificing a baby to appease a false God is an abomination. The Fantastic Fours stay and fight rather than either sacrifice the child or flee to save themselves; this is a theme we can applaud.

In the final battle against Galactus, we see the themes of sacrifice and redemption come to fulfillment. Susan’s superhuman strength is driven by her love for her child. Every character is driven to the very limit to save the others and their planet. Johnny determines to give his life to end the danger, but the Silver Surfer, who had given herself to the devourer to save her own planet but then served as his scout, leading to the destruction of other planets, completes the arc of her redemption by giving herself in Johnny’s place.

Highly Recommended!

The Fantastic Four is worth seeing in theaters! There’s very little content to be concerned about here; there’s a mention of “billions of years”, you see Darwin’s Origin of Species in one of the two bonus scenes, and there are a few mentions of Johnny being attracted to the “sexy” Surfer. Little ones might be frightened by some of the intense scenes, but there is no bloodly violence and nothing explicit at all. Science fiction, like fantasy, lets us explore ideas without the limitations of the real world. How nice when that results in good, healthy themes and a downright good time! Recommended!.